Recording - January 2014 - 37

Up on the batter head, leave both
switches off and you get a nice rounded
classic rock tone. Take the front head off
the kick and it yields a very convincing
1970s kick sound. Up on the batter head
you can also take the opposite approach;
with both EQs engaged you get a very
modern tight kick tone with lots of slap.
While modern and literally poppy, it's not
aggressive or hyped like you might get
with other kick mics.
On the outer drum head I found that leaving the mic flat yielded a big marching bassdrum tone with full-on body and boom.
Adding in just the high boost exposed more
of the room sound and top end of the kick.
This is where I usually reach for a largediaphragm condenser FET Mic, but where
the FET is usually more "kick in the room",
the M82 is more "kick with a hint of room".
Compare and contrast
I also did a quick shootout alongside
four of the most common kick mics: the
AKG D112 (boomy & rubbery), the Shure
Beta 52 (bold top and huge extended lowend proximity effect), the Audix D6 (big
smiley curve and aggressive as heck) and
the Audio-Technica ATM25 (full and bold).
While I can usually pin down a new kickdrum mic as exhibiting characteristics
found in one or more of the above, the
M82 is quite different.

Even with its EQ switches engaged, the
one thing it does not have is an extended
or hyped low end, and even its high shelf
is not as aggressive some of the others,
thus giving you tonal choices to suit your
own style and taste. I will say that the new
M82 is easily the most versatile of the
bunch, though, and should you desire 10
dB of low-end boost, it takes EQ quite well!
Other uses
This mic is just as versatile on bass cabinet as it is on kick drum, allowing you to
nicely sculpt the tone you want. If you
need more low end, you can dial it up at
the amp rather than in the mix, and the
M82 will capture it beautifully.
Lastly, as billed, the M82 is a phenomenal
broadcast and voiceover/podcast mic. It
has a fantastic proximity effect that gives you
just the right amount of low-end chesty heft
for an instant radio announcer voice, when
you get right up on it. The EQ switches are
handy for adding back in some brightness,
as well as opening up the sound of the mic
in the mids if need be. I would also encourage people to try this as a vocal mic in the
studio for a thick pseudo-vintage flavor.
To sum this mic up, it's not an instant
one-trick pony kick-drum tone-in-a-bottle
sort of mic, but rather, thanks to its versatility, it is a mic that you can put on a kick
drum and quickly craft your own perfect

kick tone... and put to many other uses
when you're not miking a kick!
The DD4 and DD5 Drum Mic Kits
The new Drum Mic Kits from Telefunken
are available in two configurations: a 4-mic
version and a 5-mic version, depending on
the number of toms you wish to mike.
Each kit includes an M80SH for snare,
two or three M81SH mics for tom use, and
the M82 for the kick. You may notice this kit
does not include any type of condensers for
use on overheads; rumor has it that future
options are in the works from Telefunken that
could presumably include a pair of the company's ELAM 260s, but this is just a guess.
...but that's not all!
The kit also includes what may be the
best set of accessories I have ever seen in
a drum mic kit. First is the hefty 18" x 15"
x 7" molded-plastic pelican-style briefcase.
It's ultra durable, and better yet it's deep
and roomy. Every mic and accessory has
its own place with room to spare both
length- and depthwise. I'm making a big
deal about this because we've all seen mic
packages with an overstuffed, cheap aluminum case where everything is cramped
and shoehorned in, leaving the case
bulging out and bursting at the seams.
Next, the kit includes not one but two
sets of drum mounts for each mic: a plastic
http://www.isoacoustics.com http://www.isoacoustics.com
Recording - January 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - January 2014
